Reunionese
Cari poulet on the four-element Réunion plate, rougail saucisses with bird's eye chili, civet zourite octopus in red wine, bonbon piment fritters with Bourbon beer, gateau patate with Bourbon vanilla — Réunion is France's overseas DOM with a distinctly Creole identity, where French-colonial cooking blends with Tamil-Indian indentured-laborer traditions, Chinese-Hakka immigration, and African slavery heritage, all in the tropical pantry of the southern Indian Ocean.
Cari Poulet Réunion
Réunion's national curry — bone-in chicken simmered in massalé-tomato-onion-garlic-ginger-thyme sauce until the meat falls off the bone and the sauce is thick-orange-glossy. Served on rice with rougail piment-tomate, lentilles ou haricots, and brèdes.
View page →Réunion Island cuisine (cuisine Réunionnaise / cuisine créole) is one of France's overseas DOMs, but culturally it's distinctly Creole — French-colonial cooking blended with Tamil-Indian indentured-laborer traditions, Chinese-Hakka immigration, African slavery heritage, and the island's tropical pantry. The signature cari (creole curry) uses massalé spice and is always paired with rice, rougail (raw chili-tomato condiment), grains (lentils or beans), and 'brèdes' (leafy greens). The Réunion plate (the iconic four-component plate of rice + cari + rougail + grain) is more codified than most cuisines: every Réunionnais household composes meals around this structure. Vanille Bourbon (Bourbon vanilla originated here) infuses desserts; punch arrangé (rum + fruit) ends meals.
On the Map
Where this cuisine is found
The Palate
Start Here
Réunion's national chicken curry — the centerpiece of the four-element Réunion plate.
Why start here · Cari poulet is the Réunion home meal — eat it as part of the full Réunion plate (rice/cari/rougail/lentilles/brèdes) to understand the cuisine's four-component structure.
Réunion's iconic weeknight smoked-sausage tomato stew — spicier and thyme-heavier than the Mauritian version.
Why start here · Rougail saucisses is the 'Monday-Thursday standard' of Réunion home cooking. Quick, deeply-flavored, distinctly Réunion.
Réunion's prized red-wine octopus stew — French civet technique applied to local octopus.
Why start here · Civet zourite shows Réunion's French-Creole soul — burgundy-reduction technique with Indian Ocean octopus. The festive coastal main.
Réunion split-pea-chili fritters — the corner-kiosk apéritif snack.
Why start here · Bonbon piment is the apéritif rhythm of Réunion — a few with a cold Bourbon beer. Quick to make, fierce-tasting, definitely Réunion.
The Pantry
See all 38 ingredients›
Vegetables
Herbs & Spices
Grains & Staples
Dairy & Fats
Sauces & Condiments
Regional Styles
Saint-Denis & North
Capital and northern coast — Tamil-Réunion community, massalé-driven cuisine, vanilla and rum from Bourbon-vanilla heritage.
Saint-Pierre & South
Southern coastal Réunion — French-Creole fishing traditions, civet zourite octopus, fresh-fish cari poisson.
Cirque & Highlands
Mountain valleys (Cilaos, Mafate, Salazie) — vegetarian Tamil-Réunion dishes, jackfruit cari, lentilles cariées, brèdes.
How They Cook
Techniques that define this cuisine
